Uber Expanding Short North Offices

Uber officially launched in Columbus back in October, and the ride-sharing app-based transportation service is ready to expand. Their local team, led by General Manager James Ondrey, has been operating out of Short North coworking business Workshop Co. since October, and have just announced that they will be leasing the full space upon the closure of Workshop Co.

“This is a great opportunity for us,” says Ondrey. “It’s a great spot and location for Uber’s operations. Our team is growing and we needed to find a space in Columbus that can handle that. This made a lot of sense for us as we were already in the space.”

Ondrey says that the 3,900 square feet of space at 851 North Pearl Alley will help them accommodate plans to double the size of their local team in the next six weeks. In addition to the Columbus market, the Short North office will remotely operate Uber’s newly launched services in Cincinnati (March) and Cleveland (April) as well as their Louisville, Kentucky services.

“This investment is a testament to our dedication to Columbus,” said Ondrey. “Columbus has a ton going for it with new development, the return to the urban core, and more and more people embracing transit alternatives.”

Ondrey says that both ridership and drivership have gained steam quickly, though the service isn’t growing without its challenges. The City of Columbus recently filed a lawsuit against Uber for their car-hailing UberX service, which isn’t unfamiliar territory for the disruptive nature of Uber’s business model in other cities all around the country.

“This is pending litigation so I can’t comment much on the details,” said Ondrey. “But we are working with the City on developing common sense regulations to make sure that rider sharing and UberX have a permanent place here. I think we’ll get there.”

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Walker is the co-founder of ColumbusUnderground.com and TheMetropreneur.com along with his wife and business partner Anne Evans. Walker has turned local media into a full time career over the past decade and serves on multiple boards and committees throughout the community.

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Walker is the co-founder of ColumbusUnderground.com and TheMetropreneur.com along with his wife and business partner Anne Evans. Walker has turned local media into a full time career over the past decade and serves on multiple boards and committees throughout the community.